Shocking revelation! Heated dispute could cause disruption to General Hospital broadcast
If you watch the soap on YouTube TV, you may miss new episodes starting October 30.
Image Credit: ABCGeneral Hospital fans already dealt with program interruptions due to the World Series, and now there could be another disruption coming for some viewers at the end of October. Carriage disputes have been cropping up as companies look to strike new deals with YouTube TV before their current licensing agreements expire. Disney is the latest to be caught in a dispute with the Google-owned platform, and it has begun letting viewers know that they could lose access to their networks, including ABC, if a deal isn’t struck.
Key Takeaways
- Why Disney and YouTube TV haven’t landed on a deal
- What an ABC blackout means for GH’s audience
- How GH fans can still watch the soap
READ: GH’s Maurice Benard Asks for Your Help
The Carriage Dispute Is Coming Down To The Wire
According to Variety, Disney’s current distribution deal with YouTube TV is set to expire by 12 a.m. ET on October 30. If they can’t reach an agreement, all of the House of Mouse’s networks will go dark on the service. The platform’s estimated 10 million+ subscribers will no longer have access to Disney’s programming. For soap viewers, that means GH won’t be available to stream on YouTube TV.
The issue, according to Disney, is that Google is attempting to force them into signing a deal that would require them to accept carriage fees at a below-market value. Their accusation is the same one that FOX lodged before they reached a new deal. Google has been accused of using YouTube TV’s corner on the market as the largest internet pay-TV service in the U.S. to pigeonhole companies into deals that put them at a disadvantage.
These accusations are part of the reason why TelevisaUnivision has stated they couldn’t reach an agreement with Google. Their networks have gone dark on the platform, and customers’ DVR recordings of their programming have been removed.
YouTube TV shared its perspective on the dispute with Disney on its blog:
We’ve been working in good faith to negotiate a deal with Disney that pays them fairly for their content on YouTube TV. Unfortunately, Disney is proposing costly economic terms that would raise prices on YouTube TV customers and give our customers fewer choices, while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products – like Hulu + Live TV and, soon, Fubo. Without an agreement, we’ll have to remove Disney’s content from YouTube TV and if it remains unavailable for an extended period of time, we will offer subscribers a $20 credit.
The Impact On General Hospital Fans
If Disney and Google don’t reach an agreement by October 30, and no extension is put in place, General Hospital viewers who use YouTube TV to tune in won’t be able to watch the soap live on the platform or record it.
Fans who’ve cut the cord and don’t have access to broadcast or another streaming TV provider can still watch the soap on Hulu through a subscription to the streaming service. As a reminder, if you’re subscribed to the Disney+ on Hulu bundle or the Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle, you can only watch GH on the Hulu app or website. It’s not available on Disney+.
READ: GH’s Scarlett Spears Kept a ‘Wicked’ Secret
